Pregnancy and Chronic Pain
Questions for Your Provider
If you are suffering from a condition that causes chronic pain and are pregnant or thinking about having a baby, it’s important that you talk with your doctors about how best to manage the pregnancy, labor and post-pregnancy stresses on your body.
Following are some ideas for questions to ask your health care providers. You may print them out and follow them word for word, or just use them as a starting point to find out more specific information about your condition. One of the best gifts you can give yourself – and your baby – is to create an open and honest dialogue with your obstetrician, pain care specialist and any other health care providers involved with your care during this time. Be sure to seek regular care at all points before, during and after a pregnancy so your health care providers can accurately track any changes in your (and your baby’s) condition and overall health.
1. Will my condition (or the medications I take) make it hard to conceive? What are alternative treatment options?
2. How will pregnancy affect my condition?
3. In your experience, does pregnancy make a condition like mine worse, better or about the same?
4. If I got pregnant, would you consider the pregnancy to be “high risk?” What is your definition of “high risk?”
5. Will my condition put my – or my baby’s – health at risk?
6. Will I have to change my medication during pregnancy?
7. What are the specific risks of the medicine I now take (or the medicine recommended I take during pregnancy) to my baby?
8. What can I do now to prepare my body for pregnancy?
1. How will my condition be treated during pregnancy?
2. What will my options be for pain treatment during pregnancy?
3. Will I be a candidate for bed rest?
4. What changes should I make in terms of exercise and nutrition during my pregnancy?
5. Will my medications change as the baby continues its development?
6. What alternative treatments would you recommend to manage my condition during pregnancy?
1. How soon after having the baby can I go back on my normal medications?
2. Will my medication affect my ability to breastfeed?
3. Will my condition affect my ability to breastfeed?
How to Talk to Your Doctor: Getting the Answers and Care You Need by Patricia Agnew
How to Talk With Your Doctor: The Guide for Patients And Their Physicians Who Want to Reconcile And Use the Best of Conventional And Alternative Medicine by Ronald L. Hoffman
The Intelligent Patient's Guide to the Doctor-Patient Relationship: Learning How to Talk So Your Doctor Will Listen by Barbara M. Korsch and Caroline Harding
Patient Self-help Guide: How to Talk to Your Doctor by Jane Williams
Following are some ideas for questions to ask your health care providers. You may print them out and follow them word for word, or just use them as a starting point to find out more specific information about your condition. One of the best gifts you can give yourself – and your baby – is to create an open and honest dialogue with your obstetrician, pain care specialist and any other health care providers involved with your care during this time. Be sure to seek regular care at all points before, during and after a pregnancy so your health care providers can accurately track any changes in your (and your baby’s) condition and overall health.
Before Pregnancy
1. Will my condition (or the medications I take) make it hard to conceive? What are alternative treatment options?
2. How will pregnancy affect my condition?
3. In your experience, does pregnancy make a condition like mine worse, better or about the same?
4. If I got pregnant, would you consider the pregnancy to be “high risk?” What is your definition of “high risk?”
5. Will my condition put my – or my baby’s – health at risk?
6. Will I have to change my medication during pregnancy?
7. What are the specific risks of the medicine I now take (or the medicine recommended I take during pregnancy) to my baby?
8. What can I do now to prepare my body for pregnancy?
During Pregnancy
1. How will my condition be treated during pregnancy?
2. What will my options be for pain treatment during pregnancy?
3. Will I be a candidate for bed rest?
4. What changes should I make in terms of exercise and nutrition during my pregnancy?
5. Will my medications change as the baby continues its development?
6. What alternative treatments would you recommend to manage my condition during pregnancy?
After Birth
1. How soon after having the baby can I go back on my normal medications?
2. Will my medication affect my ability to breastfeed?
3. Will my condition affect my ability to breastfeed?
Resources
How to Talk to Your Doctor: Getting the Answers and Care You Need by Patricia Agnew
How to Talk With Your Doctor: The Guide for Patients And Their Physicians Who Want to Reconcile And Use the Best of Conventional And Alternative Medicine by Ronald L. Hoffman
The Intelligent Patient's Guide to the Doctor-Patient Relationship: Learning How to Talk So Your Doctor Will Listen by Barbara M. Korsch and Caroline Harding
Patient Self-help Guide: How to Talk to Your Doctor by Jane Williams